My first thought was Matt needs to direct sell to repeat buyers, cut out Ebay. He could request an email address with each order or put a coupon in the shipped order offering a small discount on a direct bulk sale. Of course Ebay may have rules around this but if not, thats possibly one way to reduce overhead.
So much fun to unpack. But first— the Yentas newsletter link took me to Samuel Clemenstein’s Substack. Intentional?
My cousin has a side hustle selling on eBay. She goes to an outlet mall near her home and will sometimes hit the jackpot. She once bought approx $300 worth of Anthropologie Fanny packs at $3 a piece and sold them on eBay for a nice mark up. The store manager was very supportive of her efforts.
Thank you Matt for being Anne’s guinea pig. I can’t start my day without a shower. I know a sales gal who dresses up for phone calls and noticed a difference in sales.
I just asked ChatGPT for help with this. It had many, many suggestions. After some tweaking we settled on "The Independent Third-Party Trader Joe’s Product Acquisition, Arbitrage, and Redistribution Consortium for the Strategic Resale of Exclusively Sourced, Regionally Limited, and Discontinuation-Risk Culinary Commodities via Online Marketplace Channels"
Fun/odd fact: My aunt had a chinchilla farm back in the 80s. Sad fact: The eBay Trader Joe's salary is comparable to a Canadian author's paycheck (*unless you are Marg Atwood or Carley Fortune). If I hand sell my latest book for $22.95 (CAD) I can make $7.73 per copy. That's subtracting my 40% author discount (*I can buy books for $9.87 each). It costs $5.40 to mail (within Canada) which puts me at $15.27 in the red with book and mailing costs factored in. If the books are sold on Amazon for a "limited-time deal" of 39% off then my royalties equate a pack of gum. Actually, more like a gumball, provided it's from a 25 cent gumball machine. If the annual earnings of a book are less than $50.00, then they're withheld. Maybe I need to look into a Canadian branch of Speculoos Cookie Butter resale so I (and Craig) don't spread ourselves too thin.
And that is very cool about your aunt's chinchilla farm. I think?
I had the same finding as you did with your book when I looked into selling CAFÉ ANNE mugs. I'd lose money with every sale. But maybe I'd make it up on volume?
I didn't even factor in my hours to write the book OR the travel expenses for the destinations covered within! My recalculation has me at -$89,846.42. As for the chinchilla farm, as a kid, it seemed like a wonderland---so many cute chinchillas having their sand baths and over a hundred to name (temporarily). I even helped fill the dust containers (the 'dust' is a fine powder that's used to keep their coats shiny), totally unaware of the aftermath (fur coats). Keep pumping up the volume, Anne!
It’s probably more profitable and maybe more enjoyable to just work part-time for Trader Joe’s (you’d interact with people, face to face, which is one of the top activities of the happiest people in the world, according to Dan Buettner). Isn’t Trader Joe’s known for being a good employer? If employees still wear Hawaiian shirts, I’d be really tempted. I have one random TJ’s story: While shopping there, my friend dropped a massive glass jug of some beverage on her toe and immediately passed out (from the pain).
That is a very good point, Courtney. I've often thought that if I had to take an hourly wage retail job, I'd go for Trader Joe's for sure. The folks seem (relatively) happy and it seems they are encouraged to chat with customers rather than rush through the transaction.
And your friend is smart. If I had to pass out in a store, a TJs is probably not the worst choice.
A friend insists that her husband's retirement job will be to work a few days a week at the TJ's liquor store (here in MN there are restrictions on selling alcohol and there needs to be a separate store, it is usually connected to the main store). He can talk about beer and wine and get a discount on their weekly shopping!
How does that work, wearing heels and stockings all day at home? Do you change your clothes during several times during the day? What if you need to do the dishes or some yard work in the middle of the day? Do you at least kick off your heels to walk your dog, if you have one? Do you pause, change into jeans to mow once the dew is off the grass and then change back to your heels to work some more after you finish mowing? Do you worry about getting stuff on your dress clothes when you do the dishes etc?
I'm guessing you don't have a yard to mow, judging from what you said about being in the city. But what about other dirty work? Do your workout clothes double for painting the ceiling or washing the dog or scrubbing the floors or whatever it is you have to do? I simply cannot imagine always wearing work clothes! I am thinking way too much about your clothes now ....
My workout clothes are also my pajamas and my housecleaning clothes. So I suppose I actually have two uniforms—one for work/going out and one for everything else.
I am going to try getting dressed up just a few days a week instead of my comfy loungewear, but I imagine I would change into comfies on my lunch break. I do stick to a strict-ish break time so it would be a good time to transition into other clothes. I am so busy at work, there is no time for anything but work so I won't get my "work clothes" dirty.
That is one reason I don't get dressed up for WFH - but after reading this post, I want to try it at least a few days a week. I don't wear shoes in the house so no heels!
Interesting side hustle for Craig. Unfortunately for me the closest Trader Joe's is 80 miles away. Your story reminds me of when I was in grad school back in 2009 and I decided to sell used books on Amazon. I was going to school plus teaching part-time at a local community College.
I filled two large bookshelves in our dining room with used non-fiction books. Then I filled three more bookshelves in a spare bedroom with books. It was a great business for a couple of years. My wife helped me when she could. The margins were good, also; I'd sometimes make $75, $90, even $120 on books I found at thrift shops and yard sales.
I eventually graduated and got a full-time job as a therapist and couldn't devote nearly as much time as was needed to the business. Plus Amazon raised their fees and a whole lot of others got in the business. While I made enough to pay for grad school textbooks over two years, plus university fees, I found I couldn't look at a book any more without mentally evaluating it's condition and considering what its value might be online.
My business had taken all the enjoyment I used to get from wandering through used book stores and thrift stores looking for interesting books to read. It took several years of being out of the books Ellington business before I could enjoy being in a used bookstore again.
It's great to hear your ideas for side hustles, Anne! Keep them coming! With that thin a margin, I couldn't get myself to do a TJ's arbitrage even for kicks. Do write about it if you decide to give it a chance though. I'd love to hear your most recent impressions of our dear major, Eric Adams. He's certainly been in the news after all. And I confess that I feel inspired to try dressing for work even though I am cautiously retired--that gnawing concern over whether social security will be eliminated has me thinking I should come out of retirement...!
I think you go for upmarket on the TJ side hustle. Only list products at prices where the minimum dollar margin is sufficiently high and restrict sales to places where it's less expensive to ship. Or even restrict to NYC. You might be surprised at how many money is no object people are here.
Those are both great ideas, David. I also recently learned that the post office will pick up packages for free if you let them know in advance, so I don't need to spend a half hour at the post office. I am definitely going to give SOMETHING a try.
Roasted unsalted peanuts, roasted hazelnuts, dried unsweetened mango, dark chocolate peanut butter cups, and those Joe's Os Peppermint Cookies they sell at Christmas.
I've got some comments here... I WFH, too (mostly), and I only "sometimes" go to work in my PJs. I don't like doing that at all, but I like to get out on my morning walk or jog and work on my side hustle, so I go as long as I can working on those things rather than getting ready for work. So I usually wear nice loungewear, sometimes curl hair and makeup, sometimes not. But this has inspired me to get dressed for work (like what I would wear to office) a few times a week. It feels like a waste of laundry to do so, but let's see how it makes me feel - an experiment!
On Trader Joe's reselling... seems like a lot of work for low-profit margins, but an interesting side gig! I used to re-sell thrifted clothes. It is a lot of work! I would only purchase items that I knew I could make $15 + profit on or it wasn't worth the effort. It was fun while it lasted, but I am done reselling. Unless I find a Chanel jacket again for $7. I sold that baby for $1000 on Ebay!
Whoa that is amazing about the Chanel jacket, Melissa. I imagine a win like that could really get you hooked.
And yes, experiments! I hope you DO experiment with getting dressed, and I shall experiment with a Trader Joe's side hustle, and then we can share notes!
I love reading your column.. one of my best reads of the week... terrific.. Oh no, the Trader Joe's idea sounds daunting.. your take on life is wonderful..
I thought of Anne when I saw the Mayor getting laser hair removal. What happens when Craig makes a sale for an item that TJs doesn’t have in stock, or is Florida the only place where tourists go to Ross and buy a suitcase which they then fill at TJ, laying waste to the shelves? I have stopped going altogether.
Marina, Craig says he's pretty careful about what he lists to make sure that doesn't happen. Plus he lives near two TJs, so if one is out, the other will likely have it.
That's fascinating about the Florida tourists though!
And haha I also saw the laser hair thing. That's our mayor!!
TJ's discontinued my favorite spice blend: lemon pepper in a grinder. So basic, how could they discontinue it? While it's easy to find lemon pepper, it's hard to find a grinder version. I went to Amazon and bought a 2 pack, can't remember what I paid. I should have bought every jar available, as whoever was reselling it is out now, a few years later. I have another brand with a grinder, and it's not the same.
Moral of the story: if it's a discontinued product, pay the markup and get it!
I'm sorry, are we NOT supposed to be eating 2 lbs of pasta for breakfast?!
Yes, on the weekend Emily! OR three slices of cold pizza with pepperoni OR a whole bag of sourdough pretzels with a Caramello bar on the side.
1 pound is my limit. With sauce & cheese.
My first thought was Matt needs to direct sell to repeat buyers, cut out Ebay. He could request an email address with each order or put a coupon in the shipped order offering a small discount on a direct bulk sale. Of course Ebay may have rules around this but if not, thats possibly one way to reduce overhead.
Liz you could set up your own business consulting with Trader Joe's arbitragers on eBay!
Good idea!
So much fun to unpack. But first— the Yentas newsletter link took me to Samuel Clemenstein’s Substack. Intentional?
My cousin has a side hustle selling on eBay. She goes to an outlet mall near her home and will sometimes hit the jackpot. She once bought approx $300 worth of Anthropologie Fanny packs at $3 a piece and sold them on eBay for a nice mark up. The store manager was very supportive of her efforts.
Thank you Matt for being Anne’s guinea pig. I can’t start my day without a shower. I know a sales gal who dresses up for phone calls and noticed a difference in sales.
Hi CK! Sam Clem took out the ad to promote his newsletter. So yes, intentional!
And hmmm maybe I will be expand my future arbitrage eBay biz to include fanny packs. Except I do not want to promote more people wearing fanny packs!
Haha. I love my Fanny pack but I don’t wear it on my fanny. It’s a cross body pack.
Cross-body packs are a-ok.
The traders are missing one simple link: a name. Something snappier than Trader Joe’s Traders. The Double Traders? I’ll start brainstorming.
Yesssss.
I just asked ChatGPT for help with this. It had many, many suggestions. After some tweaking we settled on "The Independent Third-Party Trader Joe’s Product Acquisition, Arbitrage, and Redistribution Consortium for the Strategic Resale of Exclusively Sourced, Regionally Limited, and Discontinuation-Risk Culinary Commodities via Online Marketplace Channels"
Catchy right?
Trad Joe for social conservatives
Nice and snappy.
Made me laugh!
Fun/odd fact: My aunt had a chinchilla farm back in the 80s. Sad fact: The eBay Trader Joe's salary is comparable to a Canadian author's paycheck (*unless you are Marg Atwood or Carley Fortune). If I hand sell my latest book for $22.95 (CAD) I can make $7.73 per copy. That's subtracting my 40% author discount (*I can buy books for $9.87 each). It costs $5.40 to mail (within Canada) which puts me at $15.27 in the red with book and mailing costs factored in. If the books are sold on Amazon for a "limited-time deal" of 39% off then my royalties equate a pack of gum. Actually, more like a gumball, provided it's from a 25 cent gumball machine. If the annual earnings of a book are less than $50.00, then they're withheld. Maybe I need to look into a Canadian branch of Speculoos Cookie Butter resale so I (and Craig) don't spread ourselves too thin.
Good one on the pun, Ms. Torti!
And that is very cool about your aunt's chinchilla farm. I think?
I had the same finding as you did with your book when I looked into selling CAFÉ ANNE mugs. I'd lose money with every sale. But maybe I'd make it up on volume?
I didn't even factor in my hours to write the book OR the travel expenses for the destinations covered within! My recalculation has me at -$89,846.42. As for the chinchilla farm, as a kid, it seemed like a wonderland---so many cute chinchillas having their sand baths and over a hundred to name (temporarily). I even helped fill the dust containers (the 'dust' is a fine powder that's used to keep their coats shiny), totally unaware of the aftermath (fur coats). Keep pumping up the volume, Anne!
It’s probably more profitable and maybe more enjoyable to just work part-time for Trader Joe’s (you’d interact with people, face to face, which is one of the top activities of the happiest people in the world, according to Dan Buettner). Isn’t Trader Joe’s known for being a good employer? If employees still wear Hawaiian shirts, I’d be really tempted. I have one random TJ’s story: While shopping there, my friend dropped a massive glass jug of some beverage on her toe and immediately passed out (from the pain).
That is a very good point, Courtney. I've often thought that if I had to take an hourly wage retail job, I'd go for Trader Joe's for sure. The folks seem (relatively) happy and it seems they are encouraged to chat with customers rather than rush through the transaction.
And your friend is smart. If I had to pass out in a store, a TJs is probably not the worst choice.
I have had great conversations with the staff at Trader Joe's, they are very friendly!
A friend insists that her husband's retirement job will be to work a few days a week at the TJ's liquor store (here in MN there are restrictions on selling alcohol and there needs to be a separate store, it is usually connected to the main store). He can talk about beer and wine and get a discount on their weekly shopping!
Dream job, Pam!
How does that work, wearing heels and stockings all day at home? Do you change your clothes during several times during the day? What if you need to do the dishes or some yard work in the middle of the day? Do you at least kick off your heels to walk your dog, if you have one? Do you pause, change into jeans to mow once the dew is off the grass and then change back to your heels to work some more after you finish mowing? Do you worry about getting stuff on your dress clothes when you do the dishes etc?
HI Michelle! I actually wear the same outfit to do everything (except sleeping and going to the gym). I wrote a post about it here:
https://annekadet.substack.com/p/uniform
I'm guessing you don't have a yard to mow, judging from what you said about being in the city. But what about other dirty work? Do your workout clothes double for painting the ceiling or washing the dog or scrubbing the floors or whatever it is you have to do? I simply cannot imagine always wearing work clothes! I am thinking way too much about your clothes now ....
My workout clothes are also my pajamas and my housecleaning clothes. So I suppose I actually have two uniforms—one for work/going out and one for everything else.
Ok. Now I can relax!
I am going to try getting dressed up just a few days a week instead of my comfy loungewear, but I imagine I would change into comfies on my lunch break. I do stick to a strict-ish break time so it would be a good time to transition into other clothes. I am so busy at work, there is no time for anything but work so I won't get my "work clothes" dirty.
That is one reason I don't get dressed up for WFH - but after reading this post, I want to try it at least a few days a week. I don't wear shoes in the house so no heels!
Interesting side hustle for Craig. Unfortunately for me the closest Trader Joe's is 80 miles away. Your story reminds me of when I was in grad school back in 2009 and I decided to sell used books on Amazon. I was going to school plus teaching part-time at a local community College.
I filled two large bookshelves in our dining room with used non-fiction books. Then I filled three more bookshelves in a spare bedroom with books. It was a great business for a couple of years. My wife helped me when she could. The margins were good, also; I'd sometimes make $75, $90, even $120 on books I found at thrift shops and yard sales.
I eventually graduated and got a full-time job as a therapist and couldn't devote nearly as much time as was needed to the business. Plus Amazon raised their fees and a whole lot of others got in the business. While I made enough to pay for grad school textbooks over two years, plus university fees, I found I couldn't look at a book any more without mentally evaluating it's condition and considering what its value might be online.
My business had taken all the enjoyment I used to get from wandering through used book stores and thrift stores looking for interesting books to read. It took several years of being out of the books Ellington business before I could enjoy being in a used bookstore again.
I’m surprised you were able to do that well selling used books on Amazon, Gary. You must have really had the knack!
I don't know about any knack. But I did have some good sources for used books . . . for a while.
It's great to hear your ideas for side hustles, Anne! Keep them coming! With that thin a margin, I couldn't get myself to do a TJ's arbitrage even for kicks. Do write about it if you decide to give it a chance though. I'd love to hear your most recent impressions of our dear major, Eric Adams. He's certainly been in the news after all. And I confess that I feel inspired to try dressing for work even though I am cautiously retired--that gnawing concern over whether social security will be eliminated has me thinking I should come out of retirement...!
Hi Anita!
1) SS will never die!
2) I KNEW our dear Mayor would come out just fine. He is INDESTRUCTIBLE!!!
3) Can't hurt to try. Everyone I've spoken to says it makes a big difference!
I think you go for upmarket on the TJ side hustle. Only list products at prices where the minimum dollar margin is sufficiently high and restrict sales to places where it's less expensive to ship. Or even restrict to NYC. You might be surprised at how many money is no object people are here.
Those are both great ideas, David. I also recently learned that the post office will pick up packages for free if you let them know in advance, so I don't need to spend a half hour at the post office. I am definitely going to give SOMETHING a try.
I just needed to read something LIGHT for goodness sake, thank you Anne!!
LOL that's exactly what I'm here for, Grace. Happy you enjoyed!
Does Craig ship to Mexico, cuz I've got a list of stuff I CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT!!!
Okay, I can and have been, but WHY SHOULD I?!?!?
Now I must know your TJ faves, Michael!
Roasted unsalted peanuts, roasted hazelnuts, dried unsweetened mango, dark chocolate peanut butter cups, and those Joe's Os Peppermint Cookies they sell at Christmas.
ARE YOU SENDING ME A CARE PACKAGE?!?!?!!
LOL
I am a huge fan of the roasted unsalted peanuts, too! And yes the pb cups!
I will not send a care package but I will enjoy both the above here in Brooklyn and think of you.
😭😭😭😭
I've got some comments here... I WFH, too (mostly), and I only "sometimes" go to work in my PJs. I don't like doing that at all, but I like to get out on my morning walk or jog and work on my side hustle, so I go as long as I can working on those things rather than getting ready for work. So I usually wear nice loungewear, sometimes curl hair and makeup, sometimes not. But this has inspired me to get dressed for work (like what I would wear to office) a few times a week. It feels like a waste of laundry to do so, but let's see how it makes me feel - an experiment!
On Trader Joe's reselling... seems like a lot of work for low-profit margins, but an interesting side gig! I used to re-sell thrifted clothes. It is a lot of work! I would only purchase items that I knew I could make $15 + profit on or it wasn't worth the effort. It was fun while it lasted, but I am done reselling. Unless I find a Chanel jacket again for $7. I sold that baby for $1000 on Ebay!
Whoa that is amazing about the Chanel jacket, Melissa. I imagine a win like that could really get you hooked.
And yes, experiments! I hope you DO experiment with getting dressed, and I shall experiment with a Trader Joe's side hustle, and then we can share notes!
I love reading your column.. one of my best reads of the week... terrific.. Oh no, the Trader Joe's idea sounds daunting.. your take on life is wonderful..
Thank you LL! I seriously might try this. Just to see exactly how much of a pain in the ass it turns out to be!
Cracking up!
I thought of Anne when I saw the Mayor getting laser hair removal. What happens when Craig makes a sale for an item that TJs doesn’t have in stock, or is Florida the only place where tourists go to Ross and buy a suitcase which they then fill at TJ, laying waste to the shelves? I have stopped going altogether.
Marina, Craig says he's pretty careful about what he lists to make sure that doesn't happen. Plus he lives near two TJs, so if one is out, the other will likely have it.
That's fascinating about the Florida tourists though!
And haha I also saw the laser hair thing. That's our mayor!!
TJ's discontinued my favorite spice blend: lemon pepper in a grinder. So basic, how could they discontinue it? While it's easy to find lemon pepper, it's hard to find a grinder version. I went to Amazon and bought a 2 pack, can't remember what I paid. I should have bought every jar available, as whoever was reselling it is out now, a few years later. I have another brand with a grinder, and it's not the same.
Moral of the story: if it's a discontinued product, pay the markup and get it!
I've had a similar experience many times, Pam. Especially with clothes!